Latin America

Most murders don't even make the front page in Mexico anymore. But the recent abduction of 43 students has infuriated the country. The story has exposed the tight relationship between politics, law enforcement and organized crime. And it shows how weak the state has become. By Marian Blasberg and Jens Glüsingmore...[ Comment ]

Nicaragua is soon to begin construction on a new canal connecting the Caribbean Sea with the Pacific Ocean. But even as up to 30,000 people face resettlement, details on the Chinese-funded mega-project remain sparse. By Jens Gluesingmore...[ Comment ]

In an interview, Chilean President Michelle Bachelet discusses her effort to remove the last vestiges of the Pinochet dictatorship and her desire to create a better social system and import German-style vocational training to South America. Interview Conducted by Helene Zubermore...[ Comment ]

In a SPIEGEL interview, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos discusses upcoming elections, his government's peace talks with FARC and his hopes that the 50-year-old armed conflict will end this year. Interview Conducted By Juliane von Mittelstaedt and Helene Zubermore...[ Comment ]

Tanja Nijmeijer of Holland spent more than 10 years fighting with the rebel group FARC in the jungles of Colombia. More recently, she has been part of the guerillas' peace negotiating team in Cuba. What drives her? By Jonathan Stockmore...[ Comment ]

The Mexican government says it "categorically condemns" email spying, after SPIEGEL reported that documents leaked by Edward Snowden show the US gained access to the email of former Mexican President Felipe Calderon. more...[ Comment ]

In the latest tit for tat in the controversy over Edward Snowden's asylum application, Ecuador has terminated a trade agreement with Washington. President Rafael Correa will score points for standing up to the US, but some worry sanctions could follow. By Johannes Schneider in Quito, Ecuadormore...[ Comment ]

Fabiana Escobar was married to one of the most powerful drug lords in Rio de Janeiro. Together they helped run the cocaine trade in the city's largest favela. But her husband was thrown in jail, and police retook control of the slum. Now Escobar says she wants to stop other women from making the same mistakes she made. By Jens Glüsingmore...[ Comment ]

Germans went crazy went Joseph Ratzinger was chosen as pope in 2005. On Wednesday, it was Argentina's turn, with crowds gathering at a Buenos Aires cathedral and chanting in celebration. T-shirts bearing the slogan "I come from the end of the earth" appeared almost immediately. By Ariel Magnus in Buenos Airesmore...[ Comment ]

Hugo Chávez's supporters are relying on his cult of personality to hold on to power. In doing so, they are overlooking a different legacy he left behind in Venezuela: one of corruption and mismanagement. By Jens Gluesing and Mathieu von Rohrmore...[ Comment ]